


Stone

by QueenOfAllCorgis



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Gorgon!Dan, M/M, Mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15222827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfAllCorgis/pseuds/QueenOfAllCorgis
Summary: Phil knew the only way to bring his family honor was if he could slay a monster. The monster ended up being less…monstrous and more lonely. GreekSoldier!Phil and Gorgon!Dan





	Stone

He wasn’t cut out for this.

Phil had known it long before he started this little quest. His armor felt too heavy, his sword sat awkwardly at his side, his feet ached, and the sun practically blinded him. He grunted as he pulled himself up a short cliff face.

The pebbles stuck to his palms but he brushed them off. Then he looked up and his breath caught in his throat. A deer stood before him, muscles tensed in preparation for flight. Its eyes were huge and locked ahead but they were frozen.

The entire deer was stone.

If he hadn’t known the creature that lived on this mountain, he would have thought it was a beautifully done statue.

With a deep breath, Phil edged his way around the deer and continued down the path. The further he walked the more statues he saw. There was a snarling fox, an old woman frozen with her mouth open in a scream, and a soldier with his bow raised to fire. Every one of them was frozen in place.

His heart pounded as he unsheathed his sword. It felt awkward and heavy in his hand but he was ready to meet whatever lurked on this mountain. Finally, he found himself at the mouth of a cave and just stared into the darkness.

He might have paced back and forth in front of the entrance for far too long before he slowly walked in. A few steps into the cave and Phil was incased in darkness. He squinted his eyes and slowly edged his way in, finally seeing a tiny pinprick of light.

The room he found himself in actually took his breath away. It was a large hallway with a dust covered marble floor. Candles glowed faintly in several chandeliers, casting a flickering light over the dozens of statues that stood. Animals, humans, and monsters of every shape and size stood frozen around him.

Carefully, Phil inched his way into the room with his sword at the ready. His heart pounded painfully in his chest as he stained his eyes to see any movement. After minutes had passed he started wondering if this creature even existed. What if it had been slain years ago?

Then a slight movement behind a statue of a bear made his heart jump into his throat. Phil gasped and spun around, smacking straight into a stone troll. His feet slipped on the dust and he went down hard, cracking his head on the ground.

Instantly it was black.

The next time Phil opened his eyes everything was still black. He lifted his hand to feel soft fabric wrapped around his head. His head ached and he felt nauseous, swallowing convulsively as he tried to sit up.

“I wouldn’t do that,” an amused voice called out when he reached to pull off the blindfold. “Not unless you want to be like the little crowd out there.”

He froze, all his blood turning to ice. The creature was in the room with him. He was in the same room as a Gorgon. Instantly he was terrified of getting even a glimpse of anything around him.

“So, you’ve come here to kill me? I’ll admit that you are the most pathetic attempt yet,” the Gorgon laughed and despite his fear Phil felt a blush creep across his face.

He floundered for something to say. “So you waited until I woke up to kill me?”

“You’re wearing a blindfold moron,” the Gorgon sighed. “I don’t just kill everything in sight.”

“Tell that to the collection of statues you have outside,” Phil spat back and the monster was actually silent for a beat.

“If you were just trying to live, not bothering anyone or anything, and soldiers came to your home, what would you do? If the only reason they wanted to kill you was to carry your head through the streets as a trophy, what would you have done? Sometimes the humans are the monsters and the monsters are just…trying to survive in this world,” he finished softly.

Then Phil was speechless. The monster sounded sad and for a moment Phil actually pitied him. Then, he remembered the graveyard that stood in another room.

“You’re a killer,” Phil grumbled and the Gorgon huffed.

“A killer who cared for your wounds,” his voice was low. “A killer who is still allowing you to live despite how rude you are being.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you keeping me alive?” The question had Phil feeling sick. “How do you know I wont just leave and come back with others?”

The Gorgon was silent for a bit. “You could but you wont. I’m tired and maybe just…I want to help I suppose. Lay down and rest, you had a nasty head wound.”

Phil heard footsteps and then the sound of a closing door. He remained sitting up, heart racing, as he rent through his options. He could just stay where he was and pray that the creature wouldn’t change his mind, he could fight, or he could sneak out in the middle of the night and run.

Well…he wasn’t much of a fighter.

For several hours Phil waited. He wasn’t even sure if Gorgons slept or if the creature wasn’t just waiting for him but he had no choice. Finally, he pushed himself to his feet and blinked away the nausea and dizziness.

The first few steps outside of the room were the most frightened Phil had ever been. The door had opened to a long hallway. Candles flickered in holders along the walls and, most bizarrely, mirrors also hung all along the hall. Anxiety grew as Phil crept down the hall, holding the blindfold in one hand and trailing the other one along the wall.

He made it maybe halfway down the hall before a flicker of movement reflected in the mirrors made him squeeze his eyes shut. The next thing he knew, he was being slammed into a mirror and the glass cracked loudly.

A cry of pain ripped from his throat and he heard a grown behind him. “I tried to heal you and you sneak off to bring more soldiers back to kill me?”

He was pulled back and then slammed into the mirror again. His hands scrambled at the wall and he kept his eyes firmly closed, too terrified to even breathe.

“You should at least look at the monster you want to kill,” the Gorgon’s hands tightened on his shoulders. “Open your eyes.”

“No,” Phil whimpered.

“Open your eyes!” The Gorgon shouted into his ear and Phil’s eyes seemed to snap open on their own.

At first all he saw in the mirror were his own terrified eyes. A line of blood trickled down from a cut along his hairline, streaking his too pale skin. Then, his eyes moved to the creature behind him. His skin was a very faint green with shining scales glittering on his cheekbones. The eyes that blazed at him were a deep gold with a slitted pupils much like a snake.

Then, his eyes drifted further up.

Coiled brown and dark green snakes rested on his eyes, flicking their tongues and swaying.

The Gorgon was the most terrible, monstrous thing Phil had ever seen and he had honestly never been more scared. His eyes burned from his effort to focus on the mirror and not actually get a glimpse of the monster behind him.

“Am I the nightmare you imagined?” The Gorgon sneered and tears filled Phil’s eyes.

“I…I just want to go home,” his voice cracked in the middle and the Gorgon froze.

The moments passed with them just staring at each other before the Gorgon stepped back, pulling his black robe tight around him. Phil watched his reflection as the Gorgon crumpled in on himself.

“I’m sorry…I…Gods I’m sorry,” he choked out and Phil felt just pity in that moment. “Just go.”

“And one of your kind wont be waiting for me?” He felt a little hysterical.

“There’s no one left. There is no one here but…but me,” the Gorgon finished in a whisper. “So you can go back home.”

Then, Phil realized why the Gorgon had kept him alive. He was lonely. The creature had no one and nothing around him. The only people who came were the people who wanted to kill him solely for their own fame and fortune.

“And what will you do?”

The Gorgon froze and looked at his reflection. “I’ll stay here until someone succeeds on killing me.”

And now Phil had a decision to make. He could stay with this creature who had shown him kindness even though kindness had never been shown to him. Or, he could return back home where people considered him a coward and no one cared if he even lived or died.

“Or I can stay with you?” His voice was tiny and the Gorgon stared at him blankly.

“Why?”

“Because…maybe humans are monsters and…everyone deserves a friend,” he breathed. “Friends that aren’t made of rock.”

The Gorgon just stared at him for a long, long moment. The snakes on his head even seemed to lose a bit of their vigor and curled in close to his head. Phil watched the reflection as the Gorgon seemed to fidget and then finally meet his eyes through the mirror.

“What is your name?” He asked softly.

“Phillip but everyone I know calls me Phil,” he offered a smile and got one in response. “Do you have a name?”

That got him a slight glare. “Of course I have a name. It’s Dan.”

“Nice to meet you Dan,” Phil was tempted to turn around because it felt so strange to speak to someone behind him but he knew the consequences. “So…what happens now?”

The Gorgon laughed until he was bent over. “I have no earthly idea.”

The next few days that passed were a bit awkward. They could only speak through doors, if Phil was faced the other way, or if they were both facing a mirror. Phil honestly wasn’t completely sure why he was still here and he could tell that Dan was wondering the same thing.

He realized that the cave was actually an ancient temple according to Dan. The God that was worshiped here had been forgotten and the temple was abandoned, perfect for someone who was living in seclusion. The temple still had rather nice bedrooms and an extensive library. Overall, it was not the worst living situation.

Plus, Dan was a good conversationalist and his dry wit was pretty hilarious.

“So…let me get this right,” Dan spoke up from the other side of a screen as they ate dinner one night. “You came on a quest to kill me in order to be a hero?”

“I’ve never been a…well, let’s say that I’ve never really brought pride to my family. I wasn’t a warrior or a soldier and I just thought that maybe if I accomplished this I could finally earn some honor for myself and my family,” Phil knew how silly it sounded. “But I hated learning to fight and I hated hunting.”

A laugh burst from Dan and Phil found himself smiling in response. “So, to avoid bringing dishonor to your family you sneak into a monster’s home by yourself?”

“That was the plan.” He heard Dan chuckling. “Wouldn’t you do anything to make your family proud?”

Then there was silence.

Phil instantly cursed himself. Obviously Dan didn’t have a family, not anymore.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and saw a slight movement through the screen. “I didn’t mean-“

“It’s fine,” Dan’s voice was short. “It’s just been a very long time.”

For a few long moments Phil went back and forth on if he even wanted to ask. Finally, he made up his mind. “What happened? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“I had a family once,” he spoke so softly that Phil had to strain to hear. “My father was a priest in this temple. Then, the god who was worshiped here wasn’t well known but still had some worshipers in the nearby village. One of those worshipers was my mother. She came and as time went by my father and her fell in love.

Well, as you know gods are jealous and petty. He didn’t appreciate that someone could love someone else more than him and he was running out of worshipers fast. When my mother got pregnant with me he cursed me in revenge and I…was born like…this.”

“I’m sorry,” Phil breathed and he heard Dan’s shaky inhale.

“They were the first two people I turned to stone,” he could hear the strain and tears in his voice. “The only other priest here was blind and the kindest man…in the world…he raised me until he died a few years ago and I’ve been alone ever since.”

Once again, a silence fell between them. Phil couldn’t imagine the guilt that had stayed with Dan for his entire life. He couldn’t imagine the loneliness that had consumed him after everyone he had ever known was gone.

Then a terrible thought struck him.

“Your parents…are they here?”

“No. I destroyed the statues. It seemed like the only kind thing I could do for them,” Phil felt a shudder. The idea of seeing his parents in a frozen state of horror made him feel a little ill. No one deserved what had happened to Dan. He hadn’t even done anything, neither had his parents. It wasn’t fair.

“You’re a good person Dan,” he finally said.

It was the most honest thing he could think to say. In his village he was seen as weak and often taunted or teased by others. Phil knew he wasn’t the traditional Greek hero and he never would be but with Dan he felt like someone who actually mattered. Here, he didn’t have to constantly prove himself only to not measure up.

“You are as well Phil.”

Weeks passed and Phil honestly could say that he felt more at home than he ever had before. He couldn’t imagine life without Dan reading from some book during breakfast or wandering through the expansive temple. He couldn’t imagine life without seeing Dan’s smile reflected in the mirror. He couldn’t imagine life without the swish of Dan’s robes or the hissing from his snakes.

And he wasn’t sure when he started seeing Dan differently.

Instead of focusing on the more monstrous parts of Dan he started seeing the beauty of him. Dan had dimples when he smiled, making him seem more boyish and innocent. Dan’s eyes looked like the beautiful gold jewelry that only the wealthiest could wear. Dan’s laugh and smile made it feel like the sun had just peeked out from behind clouds.

Their life was good.

So of course it had to all come crashing down.

It was late afternoon and Phil was preparing a rabbit for dinner. He had never been much of a cook back home but here he had quickly learned to be a decent chef. Maybe it was because he finally had someone he enjoyed eating with.

He was halfway through preparing some of the vegetables when a sharp cry of pain rang through the halls. Instantly Phil froze, fear turning his blood to ice. Dan was in trouble, Dan could be hurt. He grabbed the only thing around him that could be a weapon, a kitchen knife, and rushed out of the kitchen.

Phil was the first to admit he wasn’t a hero but in that moment he didn’t even think of himself.

Finally, he found Dan in the main room of statues. Three men hovered over him and Dan knelt on the floor. Shields blocked their view and Phil’s, keeping them all safe. One man had a long sword out and Phil’s heart leapt into his throat.

“Hey!” He shouted and the three men turned towards him.

“Lester?” The largest man asked in disbelief and Phil felt his heart sink.

These men were from his village. They were the men who teased him through his childhood and who laughed when he said he was going on a quest to kill a Gorgon. They had probably celebrated when he hadn’t returned home.

“Get out,” he tried to keep his voice steady and tightened his grip on his knife.

“This is too rich,” the soldier, Belen, laughed loudly. “You’ve been here this whole time? Why?”

A slight movement between them made the soldiers slam their feet into Dan and tighten their shields around him, making him groan. It sounded as if Dan was already wounded and the looks of delight on their faces sickened him.

“He’s no monster, he’s done nothing to you.”

Damen, the slender soldier to Belen’s right, sneered at him. “You went sweet on him? Have you honestly taken this  _thing_  as a lover?”

The three men laughed loudly and Phil lifted the knife, eyes narrowing. Belen smirked at his companions and slammed his shield downwards before walking towards Phil. The other two men blocked their view of Dan and watched eagerly.

“We all knew there was something off about you,” Belen swung his sword around and grinned. “Once your family finds out where you’ve really been they’ll be the laughing stock of Greece.”

“Phil!” Dan cried out, voice garbled. “Run! Get out!”

Phil knew that Dan could possibly get himself out of this situation. However, if he were to get away from the soldiers then he would put Phil in danger. He stayed there for Phil’s sake.

Belen swung his sword and easily knocked the knife out of Phil’s hand. Out of desperation Phil tried to charge him but the larger man sliced downwards into Phil’s calf. He cried out in pain and Belen easily grabbed him by the hair and dragged him towards where the others were.

“Do you look into your lover’s eyes when you fuck?” He cooed, shoving Phil to his knees across from the shields covering Dan. “Run your fingers through his hair?”

The men laughed and Damen reached in between them. Phil could hear the angry hissing of snakes as he grabbed a handful of them, holding his cloak up to protect himself. The men looked at each other and grinned, looking almost giddy.

“I do so love that moment when lovers meet each other’s eyes,” Belen said in a sing song voice. He lifted his shield up to his own face. “Let them see each other boys.”

The shields moved to block their own gaze but opened up to Phil’s. Panic stricken, Phil slammed his eyes shut and turned away. Belen grunted and kicked his side hard.

“Open your eyes,” the sick parody from the first night with Dan made Phil grit his teeth. “Do it or we will kill him slowly.”

“Don’t Phil,” Dan hissed and he could hear the singing of a sword being pulled from its sheath.

“Give him a little poke,” Belen commanded and Dan let out a groan of pain. “Open your eyes. You can either open your eyes now and we’ll behead him, a quick clean death, or we can flay his skin off bit by bit until he dies in agony. Either way, you both die. You just get to choose how.”

Dan let out a proper cry of pain then and Phil hesitated. There weren’t many options here. After years of pain the last thing Dan deserved was to be tortured to death. He could spare him that last pain.

“Don’t you dare Phil,” Dan breathed, almost like he could hear his thoughts.

“I can’t let them hurt you more,” Phil felt slightly hysterical. “It’ll be okay Dan. It’s not your fault.”

He opened his eyes.

Phil honestly wasn’t sure what would happen. Would he feel pain as the blood and muscles turned to rock? Would he feel himself slip away? Would he even get to look into Dan’s eyes before he was gone?

What actually happened was…nothing.

They stared at each other. Dan’s face was frozen in complete shock, golden eyes wide. The snakes that weren’t in Devan’s grip all froze as well and it felt as if they were in a painting. Nothing around them seemed to move at all.

For the first time, he was able to look Dan in the eye. They were close enough to even touch. Dan’s chest rose in a breath and when he exhaled he gave him a small, shaky smile.

“I told you to open your eyes!” Belen shouted and looked down behind his shield. When he saw that Phil’s eyes were open he frowned in confusion and lowered his shield.

Instantly, the fingers tightened in Phil’s hair and Belen stiffened behind him. He managed to let out a garbled cry before he went perfectly still and silent. Phil wrenched himself forward, wincing as hair was ripped from his scalp and turned to see a statue of Belen behind him.

Dan jerked himself backwards and knocked the shields away. Both men turned to stone instantly, one unbalanced and crashed to the marble floor in a shower of rubble.

Then it was silent.

They just stared at each other for what felt like forever. It was surreal just looking at Dan and not being afraid of turning around. Phil lifted one shaky hand and cupped Dan’s cheek. His skin felt cool and soft, much like the snakes that drifted across the back of his hand.

“How is this possible?” Dan breathed and Phil shook his head.

“I don’t honestly care,” he felt a silly grin spread across his face and leaned in to kiss Dan. The Gorgon stiffened and then completely relaxed against him, resting his hands against Phil’s chest. He could feel the feather light touches of the snakes against his temples but didn’t even care.

When he opened his eyes he was met with Dan’s golden eyes. He pressed his forehead against Dan’s and the two of them just smiled at each other, overwhelmed by everything.

“Unlike that stupid boy, I actually do love seeing lovers look into each others’ eyes,” a woman’s musical voice startled them both and they jolted apart.

A truly beautiful woman smiled at them just a few steps away. Her blue eyes danced with humor and her hair fell in golden waves down his back and across her shoulders. She turned to give a quick disgusted look at the stone that was previously Belen and then back to them.

“You’ve been wronged Daniel,” she continued. “Gods can be petty and foolish, putting their own desires above the ones we are meant to protect. Honestly, we are meant to be greater than humans but often we act too much like them.”

“Who are you?” Phil demanded, his body starting to tremble from adrenaline.

“Dear, my name is Aphrodite,” she extended her hands and did a little bow. “And I’ve come to right the wrongs.”

Dan didn’t say anything but he moved towards Phil, taking his hand.

“You were cursed because of love and the curse was broken because of love. Gorgons turn creatures to stone because of fear but we can’t fear the ones we love,” she beamed. “And Phillip, you would have risked your life to protect him. Love, in its purest form, is the one thing that can break any curse.”

She stepped forward and lifted a hand, letting it run through the mess of snakes before resting it on Dan’s cheek. “And you wont be cursed any longer.”

Dan’s knees crumpled and he would have fallen to the floor. A horrible, garbled choke came from his throat and Phil frantically lay him down. He looked up to see the woman gone but Dan’s cries turned his attention back to him.

“It burns,” he groaned, writhing in Phil’s arms.

Unable to do much of anything else, Phil just hushed and held him tightly. Could they have really gone through all this for Dan to die anyway? He looked like he was dying, back bowed and mouth open in a silent scream. Even the snakes on his head twisted in agony.

Then, the slight green color leeched from his skin. The scales along his cheek bones faded into faint freckles. The snakes continued to coil down further and further until they turned into soft looking curls. When it was finally over, he lay there panting but he was  _human._

“Dan,” Phil breathe, hardly able to believe what had just happened.

It was obvious that the pain had passed but it left Dan panting and trembling. Phil assured Dan he would be right back and then hurried as fast as he could with a wounded leg to the nearby hall and grabbed a mirror off a wall.

By the time he got back to Dan the other man was sitting up, looking pale but otherwise alright. He shied away from the mirror and then went perfectly still when he finally caught his own reflection. With trembling fingers, Dan reached up and touched his hair. Tears flooded his eyes before he let out a tearful laugh.

“I can’t believe it,” he laughed, continuing to pull at his own curls.

Phil nodded, tears running down his own cheeks. He couldn’t stop himself from pulling Dan in for another kiss, tangling his fingers in Dan’s soft hair.

“Do you think of me differently now that I look like this?” The teasing lilt in his voice came through the tears and Phil grinned.

“You were always beautiful.”


End file.
